The Boston Celtics have taken every measure they can to stay under the luxury tax line, from trading Jaylen Brown for Paul George (who waived his trade kicker) to waiving Dalano Banton, they have done a masterful job of keeping themselves flexible. And yet, the chance to get Cameron Johnson holds a lot of appeal to them.
He's a quality 3&D wing who has been a vital contributor for a finals team before (the 2021 Phoenix Suns). He's coming off a down season, which would make him easier to acquire than usual, but making it even easier-er is that Denver just crossed the second tax apron following confirmation that they have matched the offer sheet given to Spencer Jones.
The Denver Nuggets are matching the Oklahoma City Thunder's two-year, $12 million offer sheet on Spencer Jones, retaining the key forward in restricted free agency, sources tell ESPN. Nuggets valued keeping their homegrown player whom they landed on an undrafted deal in 2024.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 27, 2026
Like pretty much everyone else in the NBA, the Nuggets don't want this. Making it even harder is that they still have to resolve the Peyton Watson situation. This makes it feel like trading Johnson is coming one way or the other.
Many think Boston can use the $27.7 million Anfernee Simons TPE to pry Johnson from Denver. Unfortunately, it's not that simple. Because of the Mitchell Robinson signing (non-taxpayer mid-level exception), Boston is hard-capped at the first apron, meaning they can't exceed it this season.
Boston is $10 million below the hard cap give or take, so absorbing Johnson straight up won't work. What they can do is trade Sam Hauser (who's heard of that idea?) along with other contracts, but figuring out who else to send back is the tricky part.
Is Boston really going to send productive players on team-friendly deals like Baylor Scheierman or Hugo Gonzalez away for Johnson? They could trade Luka Garza, but are they really willing to hurt their frontcourt depth when they just added an impactful albeit fragile piece like Robinson?
The Celtics' wing rotation is actually pretty darn good right now, but it's not like it's too good that an upgrade wouldn't be nice. The problem is Johnson's contract isn't the easiest for them to acquire.
Denver doesn't have to move Johnson right this second
Remember how Boston didn't get under the tax until they traded Anfernee Simons at the trade deadline? That is, coincidentally enough, the deadline for the Nuggets to trade Johnson. It's very possible they may wait until then. That might not be the wisest move should they extend Watson, but they can do it.
If they choose that route, it would become somewhat easier for the Celtics to pull a deal off, as players like Mike Conley Jr. would be trade-eligible. The operative word being somewhat, as it's hard to see if Boston would justify this unless they believe Johnson vaults them to title contention.
Brad Stevens has been very meticulous when it's come to his roster building. Boston would only do this if they believe Johnson makes them an undeniable title contender while also ensuring he stays for the long haul. He'd be cool to have, but there certainly would be a lot of questions.
Add us as a preferred source on Google